The Svoboda all-Ukrainian association has called on President Viktor Yushchenko to award Ukraine's Hero title to Stepan Bandera, the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists or OUN, and declare the struggle of the OUN-UPA [Ukrainian Insurgent Army or UPA] as the national liberation struggle.
Oleh Tiakhnybok, the leader of Svoboda, told this to the press.
According to him, Svoboda has sent such a demand to President Yushchenko.
“Svoboda demands that the President of Ukraine should award the leader of OUN, Stepan Bandera, with the title of the Hero of Ukraine and declare the struggle of OUN-UPA the national liberation struggle of the Ukrainian nation and October 14 – the day of creation of UPA – the state holiday. The President must do this without a fail,” said Oleh Tiakhnybok.
The leader of Svoboda noted, that Viktor Yushchenko as the presidential candidate in 2004 pledged of declaring Stepan Bandera the Hero of Ukraine.
In the opinion of Oleh Tiakhnybok, President Yushchenko has had all capacities in place to do so.
“Had this be done in the spring of 2005, there would be no problems,” he said.
Oleh Tiakhnybok believes Ukrainians would have supported the awarding of the title to Bandera in early 2005 when the public support to Yushchenko was high.
Tiakhnybok believes such a step by Viktor Yushchenko at present could create the ground for the national idea for Ukrainians.
He said Bandera’s achievements would be recognized sooner or later.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Verkhovna Rada deputy Hennadii Moskal from the faction of the Our Ukraine – People’s Self-Defense Bloc in June 2009 demanded that the Security Service of Ukraine investigate into infringement of life of a number of Ukrainian politicians and public figures, including OUN founder Valerii Konovalets, OUN leader Stepan Bandera, UNR [Ukrainian People’s Republic] Directory chairman Symon Petliura, and one of the ideologists of Marxism Lev Trotsky, who was born in Ukraine.
